State, local unemployment numbers show positive trend

County rate drops to 5.1 percent, among lowest in state

Florida’s unemployment rate dropped again last month, and one University of Florida professor says all the numbers are pointing in a favorable direction.

The state on Friday announced that the jobless rate dropped to 7.2 percent in April with St. Johns County’s rate considerably lower at 5.1 percent. The April numbers for the county showed an improvement of 0.3 percent from March.

“They (unemployment rates) are going down across the country,” said Paul Mason, a Richard de Raismes Kip professor of economics at UNF.

Mason said the key elements to look at are total numbers of workers and jobs. For instance, in Duval County where Mason works, the labor force expanded by about 1,500 while the total number of those working rose by almost 2,200.

That indicates real growth. Sometimes unemployment rates drop only because the workforce is shrinking.

“The evidence at least in this part of the state is positive,” Mason said.

St. Johns County ranks among those with the lowest unemployment rates in the state. Only five counties had better rates, led by Monroe at 3.7 percent.

Flagler (9.3) and Putnam (9.0) counties were second and third in the state, respectively, for the highest rates. Hendry County was No. 1 at 9.9 percent. Duval County’s unemployment rate was 6.8 percent, down slightly from March.

In this county, the unemployment rate has gone down while the labor force has expended. According to the state’s report, St. Johns County added a couple hundred new workers in April and saw about 500 more people employed.

That’s the kind of growth Mason sees as encouraging. He said it’s likely only “external” forces will stunt the current momentum in the near future.

“I’m hopeful that things are going to continue to drop,” Mason said.

An article in the Tampa Bay Times offered a less optimistic view of the unemployment numbers. It noted that the pool of Floridians either in a job or looking for work fell by 1,000 even though the state’s 16-and-up civilian population grew by 17,000.

The fear is that many of those who dropped out of the labor force are workers who have temporarily stopped looking. Should they start job hunting again, unemployment could go back up, the article said.

Gov. Rick Scott says the new unemployment rate is the lowest it has been since September 2008.

Scott called the latest figures “great news for Florida families.” He touted the numbers during a Friday stop at a Tampa manufacturing firm where the governor also signed into law a tax cut for manufacturing companies.

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That's great if you want to work as a part time greeter at Walmart while holding a degree in Electrical Engineering. Where are the manufacturing sector jobs, the research jobs, the tech jobs, etc.???

The answer "was"; VAW, Tinselite, Grumman, the factory that made stainless clamps, Luhrs, and all the ancillary companies that they did business with. Hydro employs only 300 while when it was VAW it was 505. Tinselite is now some other name and employs less. Luhrs is out of business, etc.

We are just so fortunate to have a governor like Governor Scott. Some people even call him "the education governor" because of all the wonderful things he has done for our schools. I just love it when he walks down St. George Street with school children in a photo op - those kids are so cute!

Scott does look like a refugee from a group home. Be he can't help it if he looks like he has subnormal intelligence.

The government touts that unemployment is going down. What they don't say is that these jobs are now part-time, with no benefits and also at a much lower rate of pay. The employees are still living in poverty levels. As well, many good jobs are being taken off shore. Why not require that US based companies employ American employees? and that our products be produced in the US? That would cure many of our problems.

Of course, what was full time with benefits is now part time without them. What was employed, is now underemployed or collecting salary under the table. C'mon now Stuart, dig down, investigate, stop pulling from short quotes with no basis and provide the readership with some real numbers. Geeezzz.........already.